


Two Souls

by nebulae_unravelling



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Insecurity, Mostly Fluff, Panic Attacks, Pre-Relationship, Slight Panic Attack, Tiny bit of Angst, they need to kiss already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 22:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13222668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulae_unravelling/pseuds/nebulae_unravelling
Summary: “Percy, hi.” Medusa stands on the second of the three steps leading up to the front door, hands tucked behind her back. “You all ready to go?”Medusa and Perseus have been dancing around each other at school for a while now, and have finally organised to meet up, and have lunch together.





	Two Souls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Asterin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asterin/gifts).



> So this was inspired by a picture I found on Pinterest, and when I saw it I desperately wanted to write something for it, so here we are. 
> 
> This is also a Christmas/New Years gift for Asterin, cos they're amazing and the main reason I have anything to post, so. Look! I've finally written something!!! I hope you like it, here's to a successful (and very gay) 2018!  
> Mwa!
> 
> (here's the link to the pic I was talking about, https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/130674826672251001/.  
> It was off Pinterest so I don't know who the original artist was, but if anyone knows let me know so I can credit them!)  
> (I hope the link works)

 

Perseus’s room is a mess. Well, given the enthusiasm he’d displayed when flinging his clothes around the room, that wasn’t much of a surprise. His older sister, Andromeda, lounges in his doorway, chuckling to herself.

“Percy, what the hell? I literally can’t see your bed. What on earth are you doing?”

Andromeda picks her way forward, stepping gingerly around the mess on Perseus’s floor. “You can’t even sit down anywhere.” She clears enough room for them both to sit down together on the bed, three pairs of jeans and two jumpers relegated to the floor.

Percy turns to face her before shuffling towards the bed, cautious of the mess he’d just made. Andromeda leans forward, grabbing his hand and gently pulling him forward until his legs bump against the bed. Percy sighs dramatically and throws himself face first onto his bed.

“Help, please, Andy. I can’t find _anything_ to wear, and I’m freaking out.”

“Aw, of course I will,” she coos, eyes fond. “What’s the occasion?”

He ducks his head, a flush creeping up his neck. “Iss nothin’. I’m just meeting a friend today. But I don’t want to look…”

“Bad?”

“Yeah, kinda. I don’t want it to look like I don’t care? Maybe. So can you help?”

Andromeda grins at that, “Of course, of course. So, what are you thinking, little brother?”

“Well... given that there’s only _one_ person in this room that can actually see, and it’s not me, I don’t actually know. Why do you think I’m asking you?” Perseus addresses his fond rebuke just to the left of Andromeda’s head, having homed in on her approximate position while she was talking. He feels her pull herself to her feet, the bed rising as her weight leaves it, and the tell-tale rustle of her jeans as Andromeda strides towards his mostly-empty wardrobe.

“So, Percy, darling. I’m thinking those dark blue Levi’s that you never wear, and maybe that burgundy shirt with the Leo constellation?”

“What shirt with the Leo constellation?”

“The one I gave you for your birthday. Honestly, Percy, I even described it for you. It took me forever to find it too.”

Perseus can hear the pout in her voice. “Honestly Andy, it’s just a shirt. I don’t know what it looks like, so I’m gonna have to take your word for this.”

Andromeda sighs heavily, but persists in getting Percy ready for his not-date. While she rifles through his sock drawer – “life is too short for boring socks,” – Perseus picks his way through the mess on his floor and presses his hand against the glass of his window. It’s chilly, but not damp with condensation, so it isn’t raining. That’s good. Rain makes walking so much more stressful, and he hates getting wet. But, he can’t actually tell what the weather is going to be like in an hour, so he turns to Andromeda who, successful in her quest to find suitable socks – black with planets – has moved on to finding a jacket. His favourite, simple black, was hanging on the back of his chair last time he checked, so Perseus grabs that before his sister can convince him to wear anything else outlandish.

“What’s the weather like?” Percy queries, before settling back on his bed.

“Eh,” she comments, flicking the curtains aside to peer out the window.  “It’s a bit overcast, but there isn’t a high chance of rain. Wear a jacket though, it’s pretty windy.”

Perseus nods in his sisters’ direction, glad to have the weather situation clarified.

“Right. Okay, so. Medusa is picking me up at 11, and it’s now…?”

Andromeda plucks her phone out of her back pocket. “It’s 10:30 now, so you get ready and when you’re done just give me a yell, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, thanks Andy,” Percy murmurs, collecting his outfit from Andromeda as she walks past him. “No really, thank you. You’ve been a great help.”

 

***

Perseus would be lying if he told anyone he wasn’t nervous, the butterflies in his stomach feeling more like aggressive sparrows. The clock in the hallway creeps towards 11 o’clock, and with every movement of the minute hand Perseus can feel his heartbeat speed up.

“It’s only a catch up with Medusa,” he reasons, “coffee and lunch, then perhaps a walk in the local park. Nothing to stress over. But I am plain,” he thinks. “And boring. And blind, that too. What will I do if it starts to rain, Medusa won’t want to deal with me then, surely. Not when I know I need to go home if it threatens rain. What if Medusa gets annoyed that she has to lead me around, oh god, what if she is doing this out of pity? Is that what our friendship is based on?”

“Percy.”

“This is hopeless, Medusa hates me, surely,”

“Percy!”

“and probably isn’t going to come at all, I should ju-”

“ _Percy!”_

His head snaps up, shocked out of whatever black hole his thoughts had dragged him into. “What’s wrong? Why are you shouting?”

Andromeda looks upset for a moment, but the emotion flees in the face of her smile, only slightly forced. “You were doing the thing.”

“Oh. But Andy, she probably doesn’t even like me, what the hell am I doing?” Percy draws breath to elaborate on his points but Andromeda interrupts him, lunging for the peephole in their front door. Percy stops, mouth parted as she turns to him, glee making her eyes twinkle.

“She’s here,” Andromeda announces with great relish. “See, first of all, she’s showed up, so you’re wrong about that. Secondly, she looks as nervous as you do, so ha! You’re wrong on both counts, and she’s gonna love that shirt.”

“Andy oh my god, _she’s here_! I am not ready for this. Andy, where’s my cane, what do I do if it rains what do I say to-”

_knock knock knock._

_“Awww shit-”_

“Percy.” Andromeda pulls him in for an unexpected hug, Percy left flailing for balance as she releases him just as suddenly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done-” She trails off, uncharacteristically awkward. “Look, Percy, you’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”

Perseus can hear the quaver in Andromeda’s voice; she sounds like she is convincing herself as much as him, and inexplicably, his throat tightens and his eyes burn.

“Shit Andy, it’ll be ok.” Perseus rubs the back of his head, “I’ll be fine, and Medusa… Medusa, she won’t mind sending you updates or something, so, yeah, don’t stress.”

A little bit harder this time _, knock knock knock._

Perseus jumps, startled. Medusa was waiting at his door and he hadn’t answered her yet.

He calls out, “I’m here, I’m here,” before turning the key in the lock and sliding back the deadbolt. Damp air swirls past his face when he pulls the door open, bringing with it a hint of floral perfume.

Perseus stares out the front door, smiling at nothing as his sister presses his cane into his hand.

“Percy, hi.” Medusa stands on the second of the three steps leading up to the front door, hands tucked behind her back. “You all ready to go?”

Andromeda hovers behind Percy as he shuffles forward slightly, cane catching the edge of the step. His smile grows at Medusa’s question, and his voice, when he answers with an affirmation that he is indeed ready to go, is slightly giddy.

Medusa jumps forward as Percy starts to move, and offers him her arm. “Here,” she says, pressing her fingertips to his arm, “lean on me.”

Both of them flush, nevertheless Medusa doesn’t retract her offer, and Percy moves to rest his left hand on her proffered forearm. They start down the pathway towards the gate, heads already bent together, two souls finding companionship in each other.

 

***

 

Perseus isn’t the best at tracking time, but it only takes about ten minutes for them to arrive at their destination. _The Glass Onion Society,_ Medusa announces with a flourish. Percy, despite himself, snickers quietly.

“How hipster is this place,” he inquires, tilting his head slightly, the picture of innocence, and Medusa dissolves into giggles. They have to stop walking while she composes herself.

“I know, I know, it really is ridiculously hipster, but they do these amazing kumera wedges; you’ve _got_ to try them,” Medusa sounds positively buoyant, and the thought of her happiness makes Perseus oddly content. He resolves to file this away for study at a later date.

They start moving again, and Medusa pushes open the café door, the scent of ground coffee and warm spices drifting out as they push through it. A low hum of chatter pervades the air, filling the café with a quietly contemporary vibe. They stop just inside the door, and Perseus is suddenly conscious of the impracticality of his cane in what he predicts is a crowded space, so he brings it in close and lifts it off the floor, before tilting his head towards Medusa as she steers him carefully towards an empty table.

They sit, Medusa gently transferring Percy’s hand to the back of his chair – he’s thankful she left him that little bit of autonomy to seat himself; it’s not often someone who isn’t family picks up on his dislike of being coddled – and she reads out the menu, _lemon kale mushrooms, pulled pork burger, southern dahl, kumera wedges_ and really, Percy knows before she’s even finished what he wants to try.

 

***

 

Their orders come quickly, briefly interrupting a lively discussion on the merits of snakes as pets, Medusa has two, a corn snake called Deus and a milk snake called Lafayette. She eagerly describes them to Percy, “Lafayette is a little shit when he wants to be, and he’s so good at escaping too. I once missed my bus trying to find him, the sneaky bastard got out of his tank while I was sleeping and hid in the cereal box. Mum was horrified, but Dad thought it was hilarious. And Deus, oh he’s such a sweetie, he just likes curling around my shoulders when I’m doing work. They’re also, I don’t know, I just. Really like snakes?”

“They sound amazing. Really. We don’t have any pets, Andy, my sister, she was the one standing in the hallway, she’s allergic to fur, so we never got a pet or anything. But, uh, yeah, I love the idea of snakes.”

The way Percy ducks his head as he says this – questioning and timid, like he’s not sure yet if Medusa likes what he’s saying – makes warmth curl in Medusa’s stomach. She reaches over their lunch, kumera wedges and pumpkin soup, to place her hand on his where it rests on the table. She watches his face as their hands touch, Percy jolting in his seat. But he doesn’t pull away. The look on his face is questioning and Medusa hurries to clarify her actions.

“You can come see them,” she offers, smiling sweetly at Perseus, “I’d love for you to meet them, but more than that,” her voice drops, becoming intimate, “I’d like to do this again sometime. Meet up, maybe you could come over to my place, see Deus and Lafayette? Or we could come back here, or try someplace new.”

“Uh.”

“Shit, Percy,” he thinks frantically, “get your act together!” But Perseus can only blink heavily, mind too full of the sound of Medusa’s voice, low and inviting, and her invitation. To what? Go on a date? With the hand he has resting in his lap, he digs his nails into his thigh, the stab of pain clearing his mind enough to try talking again.

“Um, yeah! I mean…” He trails off, his train of thought interrupted by his mounting panic. “Goddamn it Percy,” he thinks again, digging his nails in harder, “she’s gonna think you’re not interested.”

“Yeah,” he manages. “No, I’d love to see you again.”

“Shit, is that too eager,” he thinks, despair battling with embarrassment.

But no, Medusa smiled at Percy’s tone, her hand still resting on his.

“Good, I’m glad.” She says. “I’d really like to get to know you better.”

“Yeah, okay, this is happening,” Percy thinks to himself, still a little shocked to find his feelings for Medusa reciprocated. And so Perseus does the only thing he can think of, the only thing he thinks can convey how elated he is right now, he gently – oh so gently – rotates his wrist so that their hands are clasped together.

“Yes,” he breathes, all bubbly and incandescent, “I would love to know you better too.”

 

***

 

The weather has turned dark by the time they leave _The Glass Onion Society,_ heavy clouds rolling towards them. It’s colder, too, but as Medusa and Perseus exit the café, hands clasped together, Percy finds their points of contact warm him just fine. They walk to Percy’s house first, Percy having texted Andromeda their plans via Medusa. She describes the streets around them; the streetlights coming on early, limning everything with a muzzy golden glow; a misty sort of rain starting up as they get closer their destination. Medusa tells Percy he has a golden halo in his hair, which elicits a blush like a sunburn, and he squeaks out “I really like snakes!”

Medusa can’t help herself, her laughter peals into the afternoon air.

Perseus feels himself flush harder, and he turns away, embarrassment coursing through his veins.

“No no no, Percy, no, hey hey, please, look at me?”

“Oh my god, why did I _say_ that?”

“It’s ok, it’s fine, hey, don’t be ashamed, no Percy really.”

Medusa manages to get Percy to turn back to her, but he’s still cherry red and won’t look up from his shoes.

“I think that was incredibly sweet, and endearing, and so very human,” she murmurs, hands on Percy’s shoulders. He chances raising his head a bit, but still looks mortified. “But you really do look lovely, Percy. Really. And you deserve to be told that.” Medusa slowly lowers herself down off tiptoes, Percy’s hands coming up to rest near the crook of her elbows.

“You look, well. I don’t know how you look,” and there is just enough sorrow in that statement to make Medusa want to throw her arms around him and never let go, but Perseus continues, voice halting and quavery, “but I do know how you sound. You sound like stormy days and walking through puddles with friends and warm drinks tucked under heavy blankets and I–”

Perseus stops suddenly, shy to be confessing so much, so Medusa steps into him, shifting their arms to slot in behind each other’s backs. This seems to embolden Percy, and he continues, voice low and heavy. “I really like that. I really like you. And you,” he breathes out, like a dam has broken inside of him and the words are spilling out like water, “you treat me like a person, and you don’t think any less of me because I’m blind and you’re fun to talk to and I just _wish_ I could see you haloed in the streetlight too!”

“Oh, Percy.”

“I’m sorry, that was really drama-“

“No no no, please don’t apologise, that was good. That was, really nice.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

 

***

 

It’s drizzling by the time Medusa and Perseus turn into Perseus’s front yard, the bad weather truly setting in.

Medusa stops them both a short distance from the front steps, and hugs Percy tightly.

“Well,” she mutters into his shoulder, “I guess we’ll have to meet up again soon.”

Percy responds in kind, arms curving around her. “Yes, definitely. Andy has your number now, so we can organise that way, or at school.”

Medusa hums, disentangling herself reluctantly from the embrace. Percy stiffens, though, and keeps his hold on her.

He looks concerned. “You can’t go home now, it’s about to start raining properly, and you’ll get all wet. You could… stay? At my place? And your mum or someone can come pick you up?”

Medusa hums again, but this time it is a sound of acquiescence. “Yeah, that, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. And I can meet your sister. And your mum and dad.”

Percy nods decisively. “Awesome. Well, come on in, the rains already getting heavier.”

Medusa curls towards him as they walk the few steps towards the front door. It swings open and Andromeda stands, framed by a rectangle of soft light.

“Come on in,” she says, “quickly. Aren’t you cold?”

They shake their heads no, occupied with toeing off their shoes and pulling off coats, and Andromeda watches them, droplets of water turned golden in their hair.

She sees two stars, pulled by one another’s gravity, come circling together until they meet, fingers sliding into place, palms pressed together.

Two souls, finding love.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, thanks so much for getting this far, I hope you all liked it! 
> 
> There are a few little Easter eggs in here (Easter eggs, or just references, idk) so i thought i'd just clarify them a bit.
> 
> Percy's Leo constellation shirt. So. Percy is actually Perseus from Greek Mythology, the son of Zeus, and the killer of Medusa (but he's obvs not gonna kill Medusa in this). But I couldn't find his birthday (admittedly, I didn't look further than Wikipedia) so I turned to the next best thing, Percy Jackson, who's birthday makes him a Leo. 
> 
> The black planet socks. I have a pair of black, knee-high socks with little pictures of out planets in the solar system (sans Pluto, *cry*) and I love them so much so I wanted Percy to have them too. 
> 
> Andromeda in the original story was actually Perseus's wife, but here Percy needed an older sister and I really like the name Andromeda, so. 
> 
> There really is a cafe/restaurant called The Glass Onion Society, it's on the Central Coast in Australia. I've never been there, but they have a menu on their website and it looks pretty delish (also very hipster).
> 
> Medusa's two snakes are, of course, a reference to the real Medusa's head of snakes, but that's just not practical here, so pet snakes it is. 
> 
> I should also clarify that I myself am not blind, so i'm working solely off google here, so if there's anything that isn't right please let me know and i'll do my best to fix it!


End file.
